Well, at first glance it looks like a
Leica, but does it quack like a Leica?

Pictured here is a nicely done fake Barnack "Leica II" #
387234 with fake Leitz 50/3.5 Elmar lens. Once upon a time before the
internet was popular (mid 1990's) entrepreneurs could turn a quick
dollar by remanufacturing an official Russian Zorki or Fed into a reasonably
believable "Leica." It worked too, because the info on how to spot
Leica II fakes quickly was not all that well known or easily shared before
the internet. I like this particular fake because its rather
well done and an interesting part of pre-internet Leica collecting lore.
# 387234 has just had a CLA and is for sale at $400
with fake Elmar lens.

The first tip off of its
Russian heritage is the raised frame around the viewfinder window.
On Russian Feds and Zorkies that viewfinder frame extends
ALL the way to the top of the top plate (like this one). On real
Wetzlar made Leica screw mounts aka "Barnacks," that frame does NOT
extend to the top of the plate. The nice thing about this
viewfinder ID giveaway is that its easy and quick to spot, even if you
are at a camera show viewing a group of cameras on the dealer's table.
That alone confirms the fake's Russian heritage.

Notice there are no strap lugs or slow speeds.
IF this particular camera were a real Leica, it could only be a Leica II
-- CLICK FOR INFO. The later
Leica III had both slow speeds and strap lugs.

Perhaps the nicest part of this fake attempt are the
top plate engravings. "Leica" looks rather convincing, though the
oddly shaped D in DRP is not so real looking. Notice the
concentric circles on the shutter release like the Feds and Zorki. Real
Leicas had solid release buttons - no rings.

The lens has a slight scratch on the front element - not
that it will effect pics much LOL.

The next big ID point is the
rangefinder cam - that's the connection between the focusing cam on the
lens and the actual rangefinder mechanism built into the camera's body.
Real Leica Barnacks ALWAYS had round roller cams, Feds and Zorkies had lever
activated rangefinder cams, like the one pictured here.

Wetzlar Leicas had film loading diagrams, Feds and Zorkies
not so much - though of course they could be added.

You guessed it, Leitz Leicas did not look like this inside!

Wow, everything
that says Leitz Elmar is not Leitz Elmar?

Not when its a
converted Russian Industar which was a copy of the original Leitz Elmar!

I receive more emails than you might expect about
identifying "fake" Leicas. Most of the them concern ridiculous obvious
fake military "Leicas" - the likes of which never even remotely saw the
light of day at the Leitz Wetzlar factory, cameras mostly like
THESE.

Some emails concern possible
fake Leica M2's & M3's. Well, truth is, if you EVER see a fake
Leica M2 or M3, its so well done that it will fool virtually anyone -
including the "experts." Fake Leica M2 and M3's are only
expensive collectibles, usually worth $10,000 or more. I was told by
one Leica insider that the only way to recognize the superb Polish Leica M
fakes was to carefully disassemble them, comparing them to known less
expensive Leicas. The difference? The fake Polish Leica M
were better made than the Leitz originals! Once upon a time, an
internationally famous special one off presentation Leica M was sold by a
famous British auction house. Unfortunately the completely documented
original resided in an American collection. The real owner contacted
Scotland Yard, who was ready to pursue the matter. The dealer who
bought the fake let the matter drop - the camera was most likely
already SOLD! Understand I am not talking about repainted black
M's that used to be chrome, or real M cameras converted to rarer more
valuable models. I am talking about high end replicas that were made
from scratch to be better than the best Wetzlar Leicas. Lots of luck
on recognizing the true lineage of such a beast! LOL.